The Hornets are 27-12 since New Year’s Day thanks to the play of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel.
The regular season spans part of two calendar years, and the team’s records over that span will be ranked on the final day, becoming etched in history. However, what’s the order since the new year?
This question matters for a few reasons: there are more games in 2026 than in 2025, fortunes often flip during the season’s final three-and-a-half months and those shifts tend to reveal a team’s true identity.
For example, 2026 gave the Charlotte Hornets a chance to develop a rotation full of young players, and now they’re enjoying the trend in the right direction. On the flip side, 2026 is costing the Denver Nuggets in terms of injuries and inconsistency.
Here’s a look at the standings in both conferences since New Year’s Day, with their records and order through Tuesday’s games.
Eastern Conference
Detroit Pistons (27-11 since Jan. 1): Fueled by Cade Cunningham and blessed with relative good health, the Pistons managed to keep their thumb on the rest of the East while motoring toward a potential No. 1 seed. However, now they have no Cunningham and no total health, with Detroit’s superstar dealing with a collapsed lung and the Pistons pressed to replace his scoring and playmaking. Good news, though: They’re 8-2 since his departure.
Cleveland Cavaliers (26-11): Injuries and inconsistency handcuffed the Cavs before the calendar flipped, sitting at eighth in the East. Now they can finish third in the transitional stretch with James Harden replacing Darius Garland to hopefully become a better pair with Donovan Mitchell, along with a clean bill of health in the rotation.
Boston Celtics (27-12): Their 20-12 record in 2026 would perhaps be a bigger surprise, if only because the Celtics without Jayson Tatum refused to stumble after a sprint out of the gate. Now with Tatum back, their chances of finishing as a top-two seed are stronger, though not a slam dunk.
Charlotte Hornets (27-12): Clearly, the Hornets’ turnaround is the biggest in the NBA, as around the holidays, Charlotte seemed to be spiraling toward another lottery finish. Instead, the perfect storm happened: LaMelo Ball remained healthy, Brandon Miller showed growth and Kon Knueppel gradually made more of an immediate impact as a rookie. A nine-game win streak in late January changed everything.
Atlanta Hawks (24-13): So much has gone right for the Hawks after a 16-19 start. Trae Young, who was injured and played just 10 games, was traded. Nickeil Alexander-Walker thrived both in his absence and since his departure, and, coupled with the playmaking of Dyson Daniels, the drop-off in guard play was surprisingly minimal. Jalen Johnson also blossomed into an All-NBA-level player. Additionally, the Hawks’ schedule softened, keeping them at home as Atlanta moved from 10th to sixth place.
The Association takes a closer look at Jalen Johnson's star turn in 2025-26.
New York Knicks (25-15): The Emirates NBA Cup champions had a rough patch from New Year’s Eve to Jan. 19 when they won twice in 11 games. They’ve figured it out since then, rediscovering Mike Brown’s system.
Toronto Raptors (20-16): The momentum of a solid start (fourth in the East) fizzled in springtime as the Raptors failed to match up with the top teams, losing to the Thunder, Spurs, Knicks, Wolves, Rockets and Nuggets over the last month, hinting that Toronto might not belong in such company.
Philadelphia 76ers (22-19): Joel Embiid was a somewhat regular presence in the lineup early in 2026, but his status became unpredictable due to injury issues. The suspension of Paul George hasn’t helped, either, during this stretch. The Sixers are just trying to stay in the playoff/SoFi Play-In Tournament mix between now and season’s end.
Miami Heat (20-19): Tyler Herro played just 10 games in January and February; Miami lost six of them. They’ve survived because of Norman Powell’s ascent to All-Star, a more consistent Bam Adebayo and Jaime Jaquez Jr. off the bench.
Orlando Magic (19-19): Franz Wagner has played just three games in 2026. Also, Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs haven’t taken the next steps in their development, at least not like Anthony Black. They’ve had some crushingly bad 2026 losses, most recently to Indiana.
Milwaukee Bucks (15-22): The struggle is still real in Milwaukee, where the Bucks are headed to the draft lottery and hurtling toward a summer of uncertainty about Giannis Antetokounmpo, whose playing status is contentious.
Chicago Bulls (13-25): Another year, another transformation for the Bulls, who continue to stay locked in irrelevancy. Coby White, Nikola Vučević and Ayo Dosunmu all vanished in February. The new phase of rebuilding won’t fully kick in until next season.
Indiana Pacers (10-28): Unlike the Celtics, this has been a true gap year for the Pacers while they await the return of Tyrese Haliburton, the incoming lottery pick and for Ivica Zubac to mesh.
Washington Wizards (8-31): They dedicated their 2026 to the future by trading for Trae Young (who has played minimally) and Anthony Davis (none at all) without jeopardizing their pending high draft pick position.
Brooklyn Nets (7-35): Michael Porter Jr. started hot, then cooled a bit, and the Nets shoveled minutes to their ample young players. This record has been the expected 2026 result.
Western Conference
Stars setting the tone, impressive depth and top-shelf talent give San Antonio the perfect mix to make a deep playoff run.
San Antonio Spurs (30-9 since Jan. 1): They’ve lost only twice since Feb. 1, and even if you include January (when they were 8-7), the calendar year agrees with the Spurs and elevates them above all others. The NBA is witnessing the rapid development of a championship contender, and the reasons go beyond Victor Wembanyama. San Antonio’s young players look very mature, and the veterans are playing at their peak. Add Wembanyama as an MVP contender, and it’s the ideal mix.
Oklahoma City Thunder (28-10). At one stretch in 2026, they were 8-11, quite the flip-flop from starting 24-1. This was a shocking reset caused by injuries to Jalen Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein. Still, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander kept up the Kia MVP pace, the Thunder added Jared McCain at the February trade deadline and the Spurs disappeared, finally, from the schedule. All seems right in OKC again.
Los Angeles Lakers (26-15): The Lakers had to cope while Austin Reaves and LeBron James dealt with injuries. Luka Dončić did his part then, and especially now, leading the league in scoring and enjoying a Kia MVP-flavored season. They were just 10 games over .500 before the calendar flipped, but getting healthier, playing much better defense and leaning on Dončić has paid off.
LA Clippers (25-15): What’s most astonishing about the Clippers is how they continued to be respectable even after losing James Harden and Ivica Zubac at the February trade deadline. They went 11-4 in January, and throughout 2026, Kawhi Leonard has played some of the best ball of his career.
Minnesota Timberwolves (23-15): Minnesota struggled early at times, primarily because the Wolves never resolved their problematic point guard issue last offseason and therefore placed a lot on Anthony Edwards’ plate. A mid-season trade brought Ayo Dosunmu, and while he’s probably not the long-term answer, he’s an upgrade. Now they’re trying to remain competitive during Edwards’ absence due to a knee injury.
Portland Trail Blazers (22-17): The Blazers began 2026 at 9-2, stamping themselves as a SoFi Play-In Tournament contender. While Deni Avdija has impressed all season, the development of Donovan Clingan as an elite rebounder (almost 13 per game since January) has been the biggest plus of 2026.
Houston Rockets (23-18): Losing Steven Adams and his rebounding after 32 games didn’t help matters for Houston, which is roughly a .500 team here in March. That said, Kevin Durant shows few signs of weariness in this stage of his career, and he’s still getting buckets. This is a reasonable 2026 record for the Rockets at this stage, given the level of competition in the West.
Denver Nuggets (22-18): Nikola Jokić played once in January, and that threw him and the Nuggets off their pace. Since his return, they’ve appeared inconsistent, struggling to close out games or play the level of defense necessary to fit the definition of a contender. Aaron Gordon returned this month, and Denver seems finally headed toward full health, but time is running out in the regular season and a chance at a guaranteed home-court playoff spot.
Phoenix Suns (21-19): Phoenix caught the league by surprise after trading Durant last summer and dealing with Jalen Green’s injury absence to start the season. Since then, not bad: the Suns still have star power, a winning record and favorable Play-In Tournament chances.
New Orleans Pelicans (17-21): Their record reflects an improvement for the Pelicans, who were missing Dejounte Murray for virtually the entire season, until his return on Feb. 24 from Achilles surgery. This surge comes as distressing news for the Hawks, who own the Pelicans’ No. 1 pick in June.
Golden State Warriors (16-22): There are simple explanations for the fall-off: they lost Jimmy Butler for the season, Stephen Curry for a chunk of it and they couldn’t swing for any significant help at the trade deadline. Role players began getting starters’ minutes last month, and here they are. They’ll likely be in the Play-In Tournament and Curry, if he returns, can make a difference then.
Dallas Mavericks (11-27): Kyrie Irving still hasn’t suited up, and may never again for the Mavericks, and Anthony Davis was shipped at the deadline, bringing an uncomfortable end to the Dončić trade in 2025. Going forward, it’s all about Cooper Flagg.
Sacramento Kings (11-29): Sacramento never developed any traction before the holidays, especially once Domantas Sabonis was limited to 19 games, Zach LaVine to 39 games and Keegan Murray played just 23. The Kings eventually pivoted to devote a healthy chunk of the remaining season to developing players like Maxime Raynaud.
Memphis Grizzlies (9-29): Ja Morant played in just 20 games and is done for the season. That, coupled with 11 games from Zach Edey and the deadline trade of Jaren Jackson Jr. to Utah, made this a tough finishing stretch. Ty Jerome was a nice pickup, though.
Utah Jazz (9-31): Walker Kessler (shoulder) last played on Halloween, Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee) played just three games since arriving at the trade deadline and Lauri Markkanen hasn’t played since late February. That’s why the Jazz faltered, though no fault of Keyonte George.
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at spowell@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.
